Liberty in Fashion

On Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting the Liberty in Fashion exhibition at London's Fashion and Textile Museum. Celebrating the 140th anniversary of Liberty, it charts the company's history and its role in setting key fashion trends over the years. It's a relatively intimate affair and utterly delightful, but if you want to go you need to get your skates on as it finishes at the end of the month!

Not usually a huge fan of the 1920s, I couldn't help being enamoured with the exquisite collection of silk and lace kimonos. I've definitely had kimonos on the mind lately!

1930s designs always excite me and this blouse is no exception. The smocking on the shoulders, the collar and the embroidered cuffs could easily look fussy, but here they look simply elegant.

The feminine dresses from the 1930s and 1940s are also captivating. I spent ages examining each one and discovering new design details every time I went back. The exhibition had a good mix of professionally-made and homemade dresses, lending itself to some fun comparisons.

I even surprised myself by being quite partial to some of the late 1960s and 1970s dresses. A number of them, dare I say it, look quite wearable!

My only slight qualm was that among the 150 items displayed, I could only find one recognisably 1950s dress. This was particularly disappointing as some of the fashion sketches on show looked really promising.

I still thoroughly recommend a visit, but be set aside the notion of quintessential Liberty prints and be prepared embrace a real range of designs!